My Necessities When Flying To and From Hawaii

I’ve displayed several must have items that I take on board with me when I travel to Hawaii. Some of them I use just for the long haul flights and some of them have multiple uses.  Let’s take a deeper look at what and why I don’t travel to Hawaii without these necessities.

1.  Socks –  Most people experience some swelling in their lower legs and feet during longer flights.  Wearing shoes during the flight may become uncomfortable as your feet expand.  You wouldn’t want to go barefoot because, well that might not be appealing for the rest of the passengers and your feet will likely get chilly during the flight.  I like to put on a pair of travel socks fairly soon after I’ve taken my seat.

2.  Air freshener – I carry a 3-ounce container of Febreze to Go in case I feel the need to freshen my clothes during the flight.  It can also come in handy when the lavatory smells much less than pleasant.  Once on the island, I use the Febreze to freshen clothing that I may re-wear.

3.  Antibacterial wipes – This travel packet of Wet Ones has many uses.  First when I get seated, I wipe all the surfaces around my seat. (Who knows what cooties the previous passengers had?) I use the wipes during the flight if I’d like to wash my hands, but don’t feel like getting out of my seat.  I recently saw a Fine Living show about travel secrets. One secret was to use antibacterial wipes to clean off surfaces like the bathroom sink and remote control.  I’ll be doing that from now on.  On vacation, the wipes are useful to keep in my beach bag and in the rental car.

4.  Shout wipes – In case you have any accidental beverage spills during your long day of travel, you’ll be glad you brought these stain removers with you.

5.  Travel-sized lint roller – I’m sure this one is self explanatory.

6.  Nasal moisturizing gel –  Without a nasal moisturizer, the dry air on a plane zaps all the moisture out of my nasal passages and turns me into a sneezing machine.  I became a fan of Ayr back in March. Ayr really made a big difference for me.

7.  Lip balm – The dry air can also cause chapped lips, making lip balm a must.

8.  Ear plugs – You’ll appreciate ear plugs if you are sitting near a noisy passenger and/or you are trying to sleep.

9.  Facial tissues – Like the lint roller, I’m sure this one is self explanatory.

10. Eye mask – Most flights from Hawaii back to the mainland are overnight.  So if you like to sleep on the plane, you’ll be glad you brought an eye mask to block out any distracting light.

Not pictured

• Inflatable neck pillow to improve comfort when trying to sleep on the plane.
• Ipod or mp3 player loaded with your favorite music.  If you’re going to Hawaii, then make sure you load up some Hawaiian tunes. I also make sure that my favorite relaxation/meditation music/sounds are loaded to help me sleep.  I have a tropical rainforest sounds cd that works wonders for getting me off to sleep on a plane.
• A black or blue ink pen for completing the agricultural inspection form and for working the puzzles in the in-flight magazine.

So, these are my comfort items that I must bring with me when I fly to Hawaii.  What do you bring?

Also see my tips on:

• How to be comfortable on long haul flights
• How to sleep on a plane
• Q&A with a Hawaii Flight Attendant